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Man who prosecutors say tried to 'hustle' the jury found guilty of sex trafficking conspiracy

Updated on December 22, 2016 at 2:48 PMPosted on December 21, 2016 at 6:11 PM

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A federal jury on Wednesday found Taquarius Ford, 37, guilty of conspiring to commit sex trafficking, sex trafficking through force, fraud or coercion, two counts of sex trafficking and obstruction of justice. He'll be sentenced April 3. (Taquarius Ford website)

Taquarius Ford, dressed in gray slacks and a sweater, took the witness stand in federal court and for two days described how he and his girl ran an escort service out of Los Angeles.

Ford, who went by the nicknames "Daddy'' or "T-Diddy,'' spoke of how he worked for hours to line up "dates'' for the women, and took care of them with fancy clothes, meals and trips. He maintained the women were adults who "chose to" engage in commercial sex and got paid handsomely.

He told jurors he went to Los Angeles with the idea to become an entrepreneur in "artist development.''

"When you're in LA, you're just trying to break in,'' he testified. "You're really just trying to break into the industry anyway you can.''

His defense lawyers argued that Ford was a pimp, pocketing money from women who conducted commercial sex acts with strangers, but he never used force, fraud or coercion to induce the women to do what they did, as alleged in the federal sex trafficking charges he faced.

"He is not guilty because these women had choices. They were all capable of making adult decisions,'' one of his lawyers, Bryan R. Boender, said in closing arguments. "You may find Taquarius Ford is a pimp, panderer, bragger. You may not like it. It doesn't mean he's a sex trafficker.''

But prosecutors countered that Ford was trying to "hustle'' the jury as he did at least six women who he tried to compel into prostitution, and should be found guilty of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking, two counts of sex trafficking through force, fraud or coercion, and obstruction of justice.

They say he threatened to send nude photos of the women engaging in sex to their relatives if they didn't follow his rules, used violence against some to make sure they complied, convinced many to have tattoos of his name on their body as a sign of loyalty, and kept saying they were part of a "family'' who depended on them to keep working.

"It was his stable that he branded and sold to make money for his lifestyle,'' Prosecutor J.R. Ujifusa argued.

After four hours of deliberations, a 12-member jury Wednesday afternoon returned guilty verdicts on all four counts against Ford, following a trial that lasted 10 days. The jury was made up of seven men and five women. Testimony about rough sex, boob jobs and Playboy parties, along with photos and videos of nude women displayed for jurors in the normally sedate courtroom, sometimes drew curious onlookers to the courtroom gallery.

Several of the women testified that he met them in shopping malls or online, showered them with compliments, offered to help them get a modeling contract and handed them his "Victory PR'' business card. He soon flew them to Los Angeles, accompanied them to red carpet events, Playboy Mansion parties, the Oscars and other high-profile award ceremonies, where he introduced them to such celebrities as Brad Pitt, Heidi Klum, Taylor Swift and Justin Bieber. He plied them with fancy clothes, meals and alcohol before compelling them into prostitution, prosecutors argued.

One woman from St. Helens said she thought she was going to Los Angeles for modeling, and testified that she vomited after her first three "dates'' with strange men. Another said Ford had sexually assaulted her, and she feared he'd hurt her again if she didn't go along with his plan. A third said Ford was rough with her, and she drank alcohol all day long to cope with the dirtiness she felt in selling her body.

The investigation began after Port of Portland officers were called to The Hampton Inn near the Portland International Airport on Feb. 17, 2012, on a report of suspicious prostitution activity. The officers found Ford and co-defendant Konia Prinster in Room 209 and an 18-year-old coming out of another room, looking frightened and upset, Assistant U.S. Attorney Leah Bolstad said.

Ford was arrested in 2012 for attempting to compel prostitution and quickly bailed out of jail. Police seized his laptop and phone and pursued a broader investigation, calling in the FBI to assist. On one of his devices, agents found a manuscript Ford wrote, titled, "Denial of a Pimp,'' and later re-titled "The Best Worst Feeling,'' Bolstad said.

Bolstad read portions of the book in court.

"Emma is a good solid escort who has made me over a million dollars,'' Bolstad read, noting that "Emma'' was one of the escort names that Ford's co-defendant Prinster used.

Ford claimed the book wasn't true. "This book is fiction!'' Ford responded on the witness stand, adding that it was full of exaggerations. The book, for example, also said he had a yacht and a Bentley. "This is not real!''

Ford's lawyers argued that Prinster, 28, was not a victim in this case. She pleaded guilty to the sex trafficking conspiracy, and in exchange for her testimony against Ford, will have all her charges dismissed and not face the threat of a sentence of 15 years to life in prison. She also must complete 100 hours of community service.

"I knew that the District of Oregon would never prosecute a white woman for sex trafficking. I knew you guys would turn her against me - hence I sit right here,'' Ford said from the witness stand.

Bolstad read more from Ford's book during her closing argument.

"If the girl is open to making money, then I am open to being her man, daddy and manager,'' she read.

Prosecutors argued that Ford tried to pressure Prinster, even once he was in custody, not to assist federal investigators in the case. He wrote to her on June 20, 2014, "I would never ever beat you up.''